Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Suzuki M109R Boulevard CruiserAnd I offer the word "cruiser" very carefully. This is more like a rocket ship than your average run of the mill street bike. My brother had to have one. Then he wanted to sell it. Then it went into the shop for a small leak. Then he missed it!Part of my "everybody needs at least three bikes" approach, he also owns a Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad for comfort. But when it is time to "git r done" -- a quick slide down the bat pole and off to the interstate on this rocket.Don't tell anyone, but I actullay rode it about 10 miles. In a straight line... mostly.I was impressed. For a fat tired bike, it handled very well. There was no real sense that the rear tire was larger than needed. But it is. And yet it looks great. When I compare the M109R to my Red Horse Corsair Sport with a 250 rear tire, there is no comparison. The Corsair with Harley Twin Cam 88" looks great, sounds great, turns slightly more heads at the petro stations, but rides like... well, like the 1960's chopped and bobbed bikes to which it owes its heritage.The Suzuki blows away the Victory Hammer and Jackpot on every front. Price. Speed. Comfort. Handling. Looks. So, if you want to go fast on a budget, and mostly speed your time away on the interstate, this is a great bike.Of course, we do not all want to spend all our time on that big straight slab... {grin}-ski